The J.K. Rowling's Black Mold meme emerged in early 2024 after social media users noticed dark patches on the walls in the background of a video featuring the famous author. The internet quickly theorized that the visible spots were toxic black mold, leading to a wave of satirical posts suggesting the spores were influencing her increasingly controversial social media presence. While the author's team denied the claims, the image became a shorthand for 'brain rot' or the idea of an environment matching a person's perceived internal state. The template is now widely used to mock out-of-touch celebrities or to represent intrusive, corrupting thoughts that slowly take over one's surroundings.